Chichiue
by Jezunya
Summary: A mother and child sent away for their protection, and a father not seen in years.. How far will a boy go to find what's missing in his life? Thru a protal into the past, that's how far. ^_^ Part 3: Like father, like son.. NEITHER of them get along!
1. Fatherless

A/N: Okay… revising all of this _again._ No big changes, as least not in this chapter (I'll let you know if there ever are), so I'm mainly just updating the style and formatting n..n

"**Chichiue"  
by Jezunya**

**Chapter 1 - Fatherless**

"Mommy Mommy Mommy Mommy!"

Kagome looked up from the paperwork in front of her, finding her son's excited blue eyes looking up at her as he skidded to a halt on the carpet of her study. "What's the matter, Inu-chan?" she asked, turning in her swivel chair, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"There's- There- There's a-"

She smiled and leaned down to place her hands on her son's small shoulder. "It's okay. Just slow down and take a deep breath."

He did, his chest inflating until he looked ready pop, then exhaled in a rush, nearly shouting, "There's a _man_ here to see you!"

The smile disappeared from her face in a flash, leaving her looking surprised. Patting him on the head and muttering a thanks as she passed him, Kagome made her way out to the hall, half-hopeful, half-dreading what was to come.

Her hope died when she saw who it was, leaving only the dread. She masked a sigh, letting her footfalls on the ceramic tile of the front entry alert the auburn-haired man of her approach. Hojo turned from where he had been politely inspecting the scrolls hanging on either side of the doorway, a warm smile splitting his face when his eyes fell on her. Kagome gave a small, cordial smile in return.

"Higurashi-san," he breathed, bowing politely. It was amazing how he always managed to make her surname sound like the warmest endearment, Kagome thought as she followed suit. When he straightened, he simply regarded her silently for a few moments, prompting a raised eyebrow from Kagome; she had become more defensive toward his advances in recent years. Hojo shook himself, smiling. "Forgive me. I… I suppose I am still taken with your beauty after all these years." He scratched the back of his head, a hint of a blush crossing his cheeks, and suddenly he was the young gangly boy Kagome had gone to school with, despite his undeniably manly build and expensive business suit.

Kagome swallowed and tried not to smile as she felt a blush rising on her own face. It was of course nice to receive compliments, especially when they came from attractive young men, but still… "Was there something you wanted?" she asked, managing not to sound too forced.

Hojo looked slightly taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered, smiling as if he had just been let in on some dark, terrible secret, but was understanding nonetheless. "I had hoped that you would take me up on my offer…"

"Dinner. Right." Kagome looked down at her stocking-clad feet, absently playing with the ring on her fourth finger. "Hojo… I can't. You're nice and all, but I just… I can't." She looked up into his face, waiting for anger, sadness, betrayal.. anything.

Instead, Hojo smiled placidly. "I understand how you feel, Higurashi, but you need to move on."

Kagome's face froze in shock. "Move on..?" she repeated slowly.

Hojo nodded slightly, glad he was finally getting through to her. "You know, go out and have fun. I know you need to take care of your son, but you need time for _you_ as well. You're still young, after all. You've got your whole life ahead of you," he said, smiling down at her.

Kagome wasn't sure what she should be feeling. Anger seemed to come easiest, so she grabbed hold of that and ran with it. "How- How _dare_ you!" she demanded, her hands balling into fists at her sides. "How dare you even _suggest_ that I-"

"Kagome."

She stopped short, swallowing hard. That voice. It was the first time he had called her by anything but her family name, and he had somehow managed to use that same calming voice that _he_ had always used. It had an immediate effect on her.

…But when she looked up into his face, and didn't find those blazing golden eyes staring out at her, it was almost too much to take in.

She turned quickly away, folding her arms around herself, almost as if for protection. "Don't act so familiar with me," she retorted, her voice much steadier than she felt.

Behind her, Hojo sighed. "We've known each other for years, I…" He sighed again and conceded softly, "I'm sorry. That was rude." There was a beat of silence when Kagome could feel his gaze on her back, and then he stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. Kagome tensed as he began to speak gently in her ear. "We could be happy together, if you'd just let me in…" She jerked away from him, turning to face him, her hands fisting at her sides again. Hojo gazed at her, his eyes sad. "Higurashi…"

"You're not him!" She finally choked out. She swallowed hard as Hojo just looked surprised for a moment, before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I know you loved your husband, but you have to let him go," he said, looking her hard in the eye. She started to sputter again, but he cut her off, showing frustration for the first time. "It's been four years for heaven's sake!"

"He's coming back," she said firmly.

Hojo sighed again, rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Chances are he's either dead or he forgot about you a long time ago," he said flippantly.

Kagome could only stare at him for a moment, and then said in a deadly quiet voice, "Get out."

"What?"

"GET OUT!"

Hojo looked startled, and started to back towards the front door, his hands held in front of him in a placating gesture. When Kagome grabbed a picture from off the wall and looked ready to throw it at him, he quickly turned and yanked the front door open. "You're going to have to face facts eventually, Higurashi," he called, dodging behind the heavy wooden door. "He's not coming back!"

"GET OUT!"

The door slammed closed and Hojo disappeared from her sight. Kagome let her arm fall, the picture clattering to the floor beside her as she crumpled into a sobbing heap.

Just around the corner, peaking out from behind the wall separating the hallway from the front entry, a small boy of about five years of age watched wide-eyed as his mother sat and cried her heart out.

888

The rest of the day was quiet, almost painfully so. No one came to the house, no one called, and nothing happened. At dinner, Inuri was restless, picking at his macaroni and cheese despondently as the oppressive silence weighed down on him more and more with each passing moment.

After several minutes, he looked up at the adults sitting all around him, silently chewing their dinner. Great-grandpa had his eyes half-closed, probably because of his 'special medication' that Mama had told him about, his dry old cheeks puffing up slightly as he sat and slowly ate his food across from him. Mama, on Inuri's left, looked like she might start crying again at any moment, her face troubled as she stared down at the noodles on her plate. That left Grandma, on his right, who alone looked conscious and happy. Grandma was always like that, even when Mama was sad – somehow, she just always knew what to do and made sure that everything turned out right in the end. Inuri leaned toward his grandmother to talk to her.

"Gramma!" he hissed in a loud whisper, cupping one hand over his mouth as if that would keep the other two from hearing him. Grandma looked at him and smiled, and his mother looked up in interest behind him, while Great-grandpa just made a kind of deflating noise with his nose, his jaw cracking loudly as he chewed. "Gramma, who was that man who came to talk to Mama earlier?" Inuri whispered, completely convinced that the conversation was concealed solely between he and his mother's mother.

Grandma's smile disappeared, and she looked past Inuri to Mama, her face worried. Inuri turned around as his mother sighed and pushed away from the table. "I'll talk to him," she said, her voice sad, resigned. Inuri stared up at her, wide-eyed, hesitating to take her offered hand. He had never seen Mama look like that before…

Mama led him up to their bedroom. She sat on her bed and placed him on her lap, her arms hugging him lightly. "Mama?" he asked after several moments of silence, frowning up at her.

"Inuri…" she began, then sighed, looking away, unsure how to explain. Finally she decided on, "Inuri, that man… His name is Hojo, and he used to be a friend of mine."

"But you're not friends now?" he asked, tilting his head in a perfect imitation of his father.

Kagome smiled despite herself. "Well, maybe not anymore. Hojo… Hojo wants to be your Daddy."

Inuri wrinkled his nose, looking offended. "But I already have a Daddy!" To prove his point, he jabbed a finger at the photo sitting on the night-stand by her bed. It was from several years ago, shortly after Inuri had been born, and showed Kagome glomped onto one of her husband's arms while he held their tiny son in his other. Both were beaming out at the camera, no doubt held by Jii-chan, if the bits of fingertip along the edges of the picture were any indication. It was one of the few times when they'd been truly happy.

Kagome had to look away from the image of the dog-eared man before her eyes teared up too much. She nodded, smiling down at her son. "Hai. That's your Otou-san."

Inuri growled softly and snuggled against her, glaring out the window and, presumably, in the direction Hojo had left hours before. "You better tell that hobo guy to go away, or else Daddy will come get him, right Mama?"

Kagome had to stifle a laugh at what Inuri called Hojo - he was so much like his father! - and just held her son close. "Hai. Someday, Daddy's going to come back, and everything will be alright again." _Please..!_

"And then we'll live happily ever after, just like Sleeping Beauty, right Mama?" Inuri asked, pulling away and smiling wide up at her.

Kagome laughed out loud. "Yes, just like Sleeping Beauty." It amused her to no end that her son's favorite bedtime story just happened to be a backwards version of how his own parents met - girl enters enchanted land to wake up demon prince, rather than the other way around. And she didn't rouse him with a kiss - what a wake up call that would've been for Inuyasha! One minute Kikyou's shooting him, and then the next minute, he opens his eyes and finds her kissing him! Ha!

She shook her head, trying to dispel her thoughts. Even after all these years, it was hard to think of the priestess without any bitterness. Instead, she just smiled down at her son again and murmured, "Just like Sleeping Beauty…" Inuri smiled up at her once more, and then squirmed out of her arms, running off to go finish his dinner.

Kagome sat for a while, staring out the window at the darkening sky.

_Please, Inuyasha… Wherever you are… Be safe… _

_Come back to me soon._

8-888-8

Edited & Re-posted 9.4.05


	2. Several Years Later

"**Chichiue"  
by Jezunya**

**Chapter 2 – Several Years Later**

As soon as the front door shut behind him, he pulled off the amulet, sighing as the transformation washed over him. His ears grew and slid back up to sit at the top of his skull, and his whole head tingled as his hair, eyes, and nose changed, returning to their natural forms. He grinned at the odd yet familiar sensation and shook out his long mane of white hair in much the same fashion as a dog.

"Tadaima!" he called as he set his bag down next to his shoes, his voice deep and rich with the last traces of adolescence nearly gone, yet also holding the slight gravely tone that gave evidence of his heritage.

The sound of movement came from up above, and then his mother came running down the stairs. She stopped short on the last step, her mouth dropping open and her eyes beginning to tear up. Then he turned to look at her, and the hope and joy that had flared up in her eyes died again. Instead she smiled quietly, her eyes slightly sad, as she stood on her tiptoes to hug him and say, "Okaerinasai, Inuri."

Inuri smiled and hugged her back, wishing he could make her smile. He hated it when 'Kaa-chan cried, especially when she thought he didn't notice. She had mistaken him for his father again, he knew. The way her eyes lit up only when she thought of him, and the way her voice swelled with love when she told him stories of their younger days; he had learned to watch for these, for afterward always came the tears.

"You're home early," she noted as she pulled away. She glanced up at the clock; it was only 12:30.

He nodded. "Today was the last day of school, remember? They let us out at lunch."

She blinked. "Oh… Right…" _Baka! How could you forget about summer vacation?_ "Well, I'm glad you're home," she smiled and squeezed his hand before starting off toward the kitchen.

Inuri let out a long breath and began climbing up the stairs. When he reached his room – which used to belong to his uncle, who was now living in the city, working as a computer-game designer or something– he let out another long breath, feeling the stress of a long school year finally lift from his shoulders. Not bothering to turn the light on, he flopped down on his bed, content just to lie there and think of absolutely nothing.

Something on the far wall caught his eye. He rose and walked over to it, taking down the ancient katana from its stand.

It was old and rusted, probably in too poor condition to be of much use as a weapon. Most people would have tossed it aside, dismissing it as nothing more than a piece of junk, but Inuri held it with something akin to reverence.

It had belonged to his father. And, according to 'Kaa-chan, it had belonged to _his_ father before that. The Tetsusaiga, the Steel-cleaving Fang, she had called it. Father had left it with them, saying it would protect them. _But it's just a sword,_ he thought as he unsheathed it. He looked closely at the blade, itching for a good oiled cloth to clean it. _ How can something so… **old**… be of any use?_ He scowled at the sword, then resheathed it and placed it back on the wall, shaking his head in frustration.

Just as he was getting comfortable on his bed again, his mother stuck her head in the door. "You know," she said, her voice sounding suspiciously smug, "since you suddenly have _so_ much free time, you can do some chores for me." She grinned at him as he groaned and hauled himself off the bed, before cheerfully continuing on downstairs.

888

Inuri sneezed. For the tenth time. He may have only been a fourth dog demon, but his nose was still sensitive enough to be irritated by the clouds of dust that rose from the old books and scrolls. He had to clean out the shed every summer, but somehow the dust seemed to get thicker each year. He tried not to breathe in as he dusted another row of crackling, leather-bound volumes. _Dang, Gramps… What the heck did you need all these books for..?_ The shed had been a kind of workshop for his great-grandfather – on his mother's side, of course – who seemed to have been bent on having the world's largest collection of old and useless books. Had he not passed away when Inuri was six, the collection would most likely have continued to grow and he would not have been allowed to so much as peek inside at what the old man was up to. But Grandfather _had_ died, and his books and other priestly relics had been left in the dust.

_Literally,_ Inuri snorted – then sneezed, as the sudden gust of air caused a cloud of dust to blow off of one book that sat open on the worktable. After Inuri finished his sneezing fit, he glanced at the book through watery eyes. It had always been there. No one ever touched it, save himself, and that was only to brush the dust from it once a year. He had never really paid it any mind… until now. There was something that drew his attention now. He skimmed over the ancient text with his eyes.

It was a spell. And not just any spell: it was a spell to reach a missing person. He recalled that his parents had done a lot of traveling together before he was born, before they were even married, and Grandfather had not liked it one bit. _Huh…_

A shaft of sunlight came in through the tiny, dust-covered window, catching his eye as it alighted on a dark-blue glass flask. He had never really noticed the bottle before, though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew it had always been there. His eyes widened as the other objects on the table slowly registered in his brain.

Clustered around the book were all the ingredients needed for the spell. Tiny bottles of various mythical-creature body-parts, incense, warding scrolls, small flasks of different oils and ointments, and an image of the missing person – in this case his mother. Then he saw something that seemed to have no place in the mystical shop: a small, white, stuffed dog.

He recognized it. He'd seen the dog in old photographs of his mother when she was very young, and Grandfather used to tell him stories of how she had refused to go anywhere without the beloved toy, whether it was to school, bed, or the toilet. He held the dog gently, aware of the years-old, yet still strong, scent of his mother on it. He glanced at the book again. The key ingredient, it said, was something that the missing person had been fond of, something they had kept close to themselves for extended periods of time. The book suggested articles of clothing, locks of hair, or …weapons.

Inuri set down the stuffed dog and strode purposefully out of the shed, an idea already forming in his mind.

888

Kagome knocked quietly on her son's door. When no answer came, she pushed it open with one hand, her laundry basket held against her hip by the other. As she set out the pile of clean clothes on his bed, she became aware of how cold the room felt. Not really cold in temperature, but more like the absence of a familiar, warm aura. A thought suddenly occured to her, and she glanced over at the Tetsusaiga.

A blank wall stared back at her, decorated only with a few empty nails.

Kagome dropped the laundry basket and sprinted from the room. "Inuri!"

888

He had followed the instructions perfectly. He was ready to begin. As he lit the incense, he began to chant the words in the book. He dropped the photo of a white-haired, dog-eared man, otherwise known as Inuyasha, his father, into the bowl of waiting oil. Sprinkling a little burning incense over it, the oil promptly caught fire, and the photo soon followed. He gripped Tetsusaiga as he came to the climax in the spell, his voice swelling almost to a yell as the wind began to pick up all around him. Inuri all but screamed the last word, the one that would bring the spell to action, and the circle of ingredients exploded in front of him.

At first it looked like a tiny dot of dust, or perhaps a small pebble, levitating in the air in front of him. But then the point of black light began to grow swiftly, the wind from it whipping at his hair and clothes. He stood and regarded the smoky black portal warily. Now that he had it open, he wasn't sure what to do. Should he go through? Or…

"Inuri!" His mother was sprinting across the lawn to him, screaming at him, though her voice was barely audible over the howling winds of the portal. He stared at her for a moment, then turned back to the portal. Squaring his shoulders, he took a deep breath and leapt through.

"_Inuri!_"

8-888-8

Edited & Reposted 9.4.05


	3. Parental Guidance

**"Chichiue"  
by Jezunya**

**Chapter 3 – Parental Guidance**

Leafy ferns swished out of the way of the speeding black tires, some unfortunate few being crushed into the worn path beneath. Kagome took one hand off the handlebars of her bike to shield her face from a low-hanging branch, pedaling for all she was worth. _Just a little further…_ She broke the line of trees and sped out into the clearing where the Bone-Eater's well lay. She was only a few meters away… four… three… She dropped her bike and ran the rest of the way. _Almost there, almost…_ She dove into the well with a triumphant "Ha!" She'd made it!

She was almost halfway down the well when a clawed hand shot down and grabbed the back of her shirt. She was hoisted back up and turned around to face an irate dog-demon, still dangling in the air above the well.

"And just where are you going?" Inuyasha glared at her, his face smudged with dirt from the Sits he'd already received.

"Where do you _think_ I'm going?" Kagome glared back. "Home, of course!"

"I don't think so," Inuyasha replied. "We've got shards to find."

"Put me down, Inuyasha. I have to go home!"

"No."

"I'll say the word…" Kagome threatened.

Inuyasha smirked. "Not while I'm holding you, you won't."

The girl's face darkened, blue eyes clouding over with anger. "Dang it, Inuyasha! Put me down!"

He smirked again. "Not 'til we're back in the village." And with that, he tossed her over his shoulder and started back the way they had come.

"You put me down this instant! I swear, dog-boy, I am going S-word you 'til your back breaks! PUT ME DOWN!" Kagome's angry screams echoed through the forest, slowly growing fainter as they moved away.

A cool breeze blew through Inuyasha's forest, rustling the leaves on the trees and the underbrush growing below. Something shimmered in the air among the tall stalks, at first looking almost like a speck of dust or perhaps a small pebble suspended in midair. The point of black light pulsed once, twice, then grew swiftly, expanding into a swirling black vortex.

Inuri fell through the portal, landing heavily on hands and knees in the grass. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the portal shrink and disappear with an almost comical little "blip." His eyes widened and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. How was he supposed to get back home now! He looked around anxiously, taking in the unfamiliar forest, the sounds of birds and small animals moving about, the absolutely untamed scent about the place.

Then another scent touched his nose: a dog-demon! He sniffed the air and then even bent his head to snuffle at the ground a few times. Another dog-demon had moved through there, either very recently, or very frequently. This was claimed territory, but beyond that, he couldn't smell any details. But then, that was all he needed – if someone had 'claimed' this area, then they would be able to tell him where he was. He climbed to his feet, but then found that he lost the scent. Cursing his only partial demon blood, he knelt on the ground again, needing to be close to the source in order to catch the scent at all.

He followed the scent all that afternoon, often having to crawl along the ground just to be able to smell it. It wound all throughout the forest, sometimes doubling back on itself or wandering about in circles. He wondered more than a few times if this inu was possibly insane, or maybe just had an incredibly inept sense of direction. Either way, though, this was his only lead, and he was determined to stick with it.

By the end of the day, Inuri was dirty, tired, and lost. He crawled a few more inches, but then, with a frustrated growl, climbed to his feet. This was getting him nowhere! He hadn't seen any sign of anything living here besides the trees and squirrels, much less any civilization! He let out a curse and punched a tree beside him, then flushed when he realized what he'd said. 'Kaa-chan would wash his mouth out with soap if she heard him talking like that. He sighed, and leaned his forehead against the tree he'd just hit, letting his shoulders slump in defeat. It was hopeless.

One of his ears perked up as it picked up the sound of water rushing nearby. He quickly looked up and turned in the direction the sound was coming from. Could it be.. a spring! Hope soared through him as he rushed toward it, because, even if he was lost in a strange forest with no way of getting home, at least he could wash off and relax a little!

What he found beyond the trees was not a hot spring, but instead a cold, rushing river. He kicked off one shoe to test the water, quickly pulling back when the icy temperature sent goose-bumps all up his skin. He eyed the water almost accusingly for a moment, but then just gave up. Sighing, he began to remove his dirty, might-as-well-be-ruined clothes, absently pulling out his amulet and slipping it over his neck. No sense in bathing in his demon form, just to come out smelling like a wet dog.

He had just managed to settle into the water, gritting his teeth the whole way, when things really started to go wrong. First, the wind picked up tremendously and blew his pile of clothing right off of the boulder he's set it on and straight into the water. And then, as he was floundering around trying to salvage his now-soaked clothing, he heard the sound of voices approaching.

He dropped his clothes, only realizing as an afterthought that they were now steadily being carried away on the current, and darted behind one of the large boulders sticking out into the water.

He only had to wait a few moments before the voices came close enough to tell that it was two girls, probably somewhere around his own age.

They were chatting happily about various girl things, until one of them sighed and complained, "Mou, Inuyasha can be so stupid.." The other, older-sounding girl just chuckled.

That got his attention. He shifted closer to the boulder, trying to hear them without exposing himself.

"It's not funny!" the first girl whined, sounding half-offended. "I was supposed to go pick up my make-up work at noon today! Now I'm gonna be even farther behind!"

The other girl laughed again. "You know, as annoying as it is, you have to admit it's kind of sweet how protective he is of you.."

"Sango-chan!" the other girl almost screeched, sounding outraged. Inuri winced behind his boulder. "He's not being protective, and he's _definitely_ not being 'sweet!' If anything, he's just obsessing over finding the stupid Shikon shards!" The older girl, now dubbed 'Sango' just chuckled again. It seemed nothing was going to ruin her good mood.

The other girl seemed to have noticed it as well. "Ne, Sango-chan.. What's with you today? You're being awfully- hm!" She suddenly cut off and all sounds from the other side of the boulder went dead silent. Inuri frowned and leaned forward, straining to hear them.

When he still couldn't hear anything, he carefully reached up and grabbed the chain of his amulet, pulling the cool metal disc away from his skin so that he morphed back into his demon form.

"-hear that? I think there's someone here.."

The younger girl suddenly gasped, then seemed to muffle it with a hand. "There's a demon nearby!" she whispered urgently, almost inaudible even to Inuri's enhanced hearing. "I can feel it! It's really close!"

Inuri drew in a sharp breath, and let his amulet fall back against his chest, changing him human again. He stepped back from the boulder and took a deep breath, preparing to call out to them. They'd probably start looking around if they were afraid of a demon hanging around, and it really wouldn't be good for them to come find him as he was, well.. naked.

"Um, hello?" he called, hoping they wouldn't come running around to his side of the rock separating them. He heard the girls still, listening tensely. He swallowed hard and continued, "Um, you wouldn't happen to have a towel or something I could use, would you?" He stuck his head out into view, looking over at the two girls sheepishly.

He'd been right; they both looked to be around his age, one maybe a year or two older, the other a couple years younger. They were both wearing light summer yukatas, and it looked like they had been half-way through disrobing when they'd hastily thrown their clothes back on – probably when they'd realized they weren't alone out on this river.

But what the heck were two girls doing coming down to bathe in a river like this?

Inuri felt his face begin to heat in embarrassment as they stared at him. "Um, my clothes sort of fell in the river, and got washed downstream.."

The girls exchanged glances, and then the shorter one turned to scramble back to their pile of bath supplies. She came hurrying back, towel in hand, and held it out to him timidly, blushing slightly. "Here, you can use this.." Inuri nodded gratefully and took the towel, disappearing back behind the boulder.

He half-grimaced as he wrapped the towel around his waist. It was fluffy, soft, and pink. Ick. _Well, beggars can't be choosers, I guess.._ he thought with a sigh, and waded back out of the water to where the two girls stood waiting, pausing only long enough to snag Tetsusaiga from where it was still lying on top of the boulder. At least _that_ hadn't fallen in the water. 'Kaa-chan would seriously kill him if he lost his father's sword. …Assuming he ever managed to get back home, of course…

"Um.." He scratched the back of his head, looking at the two girls sheepishly. They looked back at him, one suspiciously, the other with polite curiosity on her face. "I'm, uh, actually kinda lost," he admitted, his face flushing once again.

The girls exchanged wondering looks again. "Well, we can take you back to the village, if you like," the shorter one offered after a moment of silence, while the older girl just watched him through slightly narrowed eyes, not looking particularly happy with the situation.

Inuri gave a relieved smile, trying to ignore the glare coming from the tall pony-tailed girl. "Thanks! That'd be great," he grinned, causing the short, friendly girl to smile back shyly, blushing slightly.

The girls turned to lead the way to their 'village,' (What was with this? Bathing in rivers, and living in a 'village'? He really must be out in the boonies…) stopping to gather up their basket of bath supplies. Even with his human hearing, Inuri could pick up snatches of their whispered conversation.

"I thought you said you felt a demon aura." Ah, so the taller, suspicious one was 'Sango.'

"Well, maybe I imagined it.. or it left…" The other girl still remained unnamed to him, but she was sure a lot friendlier than Sango. And cute too, although he had to admit they were both pretty good-looking.. She shook her head, making her glossy black hair wave back and forth against her back. "We can't just leave him out in the forest, though, especially if he's lost.." Sango just 'hmm'ed unhappily.

Inuri cleared his throat and lengthened his stride to catch up with the two girls, careful of the towel still tied around his waist. "Um, this is gonna sound strange-" _Well, maybe not, if they know about demon auras and things like that.._ "-but you wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Inuyasha, would you?" He held his breath as they both stopped and looked over at him in surprise. The portal had brought him here, so there was a good chance that his father was here, and that the people here knew him.. right?

"Who's asking?" Sango replied challengingly, her eyes narrowing further.

"Got white hair, dog ears on top of his head?"

The shorter girl frowned slightly at him. Great, now she was getting suspicious of him too.. "Yeah.." she answered slowly.

Inuri let out a sigh of relief. They knew him! It had to be him – after all, how many white-haired half-demons could there be who went by the name Inuyasha? He took a deep breath.

"Well, he's my father."

The girls' things clattered to the ground loudly as they both just gaped at him.

888

"I'll _kill_ him!"

Inuri glanced at Sango, running beside him, as they tried to keep up with the other girl's furious dash through the forest. "What's with her?" he finally managed to ask once they emerged from the trees into a quaint, medieval-looking village.

Sango continued to glare ahead, and her voice came out in a low, angry growl. "I guess Kagome-chan doesn't much like the idea of Inuyasha being a father.. not that I can blame her." She put on a new burst of speed, leaving Inuri to skid to a stop, staring after her in shock.

That girl's name was _Kagome!_ But that was his mother's..!

It suddenly occurred to him what this could mean and he had to brace his hands on his knees for support, feeling almost sick to his stomach. This Kagome was young, pretty.. She even looked kind of like his mother. Could it be possible that his father had abandoned them and gone off and found some pretty, young girl that looked just like his old wife, and even went by the same name? It was sick. No way could this be the same guy his mother had fallen in love with!

Grimacing, he pushed himself upright, and set off after the two girls again. He'd have to find out the truth sooner or later…

888

"INUYASHAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Said dog-demon looked up guiltily from where he had been about to pummel a certain kitsune cub, only to see an enraged Kagome running at him full-tilt. He barely had time to drop Shippou in shock and process the sight before the girl's hands were around his neck and banging his head repeatedly against the wall of Kaede's hut.

"Since-" WHAM "-_when_ do-" WHACK "-you-" BANG "-have-" POW "-a _SON!_"

"Get off!" Inuyasha coughed, finally managing to pry her hands off of his neck. "What the heck are you babbling about! I don't have a son!"

"I beg to differ."

They both looked around at the teenaged boy standing several feet away on the ground in front of Kaede's porch. He was still dressed in nothing but the fluffy pink towel, which did detract from his image, but only slightly. He stood with his feet firmly planted, his arms folded across his chest, a battered katana clenched in one hand, his face not quite a scowl, but definitely hostile as he locked gazes with the white-haired young man on the porch. It suddenly struck Kagome just how much alike the two looked.

"Who the heck are you!" Inuyasha snarled, slowly climbing to his feet and almost unconsciously starting to put an arm out in front of Kagome.

"Apparently, he's the son you 'don't have,'" the girl replied sarcastically, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"I _don't_ have a son!"

"Oh, right, that would explain how I'm standing right here," Inuri growled back, glowering up at him.

Inuyasha bristled at his tone. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I am _not_ your father!"

"You ABANDONNED me and my mother when I was only a year old!"

"And just when was that!"

"Sixteen years ago, stupid!"

Everyone suddenly went dead silent, staring at him in shock. Inuri stopped and looked around, first at Sango standing to his side, then back at the pair on the porch. "What?"

Inuyasha broke the silence, letting out a low, predatory chuckle. "Okay, bastard," he growled, smirking as he looked back up at the other boy, golden eyes glinting dangerously, "now how about telling us who you _really_ are?"

Inuri came pretty close to growling out loud, despite being in his human form. "I'm you're son! But I guess I can't really expect you to remember me, seeing how quickly you ran out on my mother!"

"Shut up! I don't have a son!" Inuyasha snarled, his hand flying to his sword threateningly. "I don't know who you or your stupid mother are!"

"Don't you dare call her stupid!" Inuri yelled back, drawing his own sword. "The only dumb thing she ever did was falling in love with a jerk like you!"

After a comment like that, he was rather surprised when he was again met with absolute silence.

"Inuyasha..?" Kagome questioned, lightly touching the dog-demon's arm.

The hanyou just continued to stare down at the rusted sword being pointed at him. He'd know that demon aura anywhere! But how..! "Where did _you_ get _that!_"

"This was my father's sword, Tetsusaiga! Ring any bells?" Inuri growled, trying to look as threatening as possible with the thin, rusted may-have-once-been-a-sword.

Inuyasha blinked, then snarled back, "No, _this_ is Tetsusaiga!" He pulled the sword from its sheath with the hand already resting there, the blade transforming into the giant fang almost before he had it drawn completely. Inuyasha glanced down at the blade, "And it looks like you're not as human as you look, boy," he chuckled darkly, starting to bend his knees slightly, preparing to lunge at the other boy.

Inuri just continued to glare at him, not recognizing the impending danger. "No, I guess I wouldn't be if I have a stupid hanyou for a father.."

Inuyasha's eyes blazed with rage, before he sprang off the porch, snarling. "Bastard!"

Just then Kagome's voice rang out from behind the enraged dog-demon. "Inuyasha, wait! Osuwari!"

With a loud 'THUMP' Inuyasha did a face-plant straight into the ground. "Agh, what the hell was that for!" Inuyasha's voice was muffled against the ground, but Inuri still took a slight step away from his prone form in repulsion. Honestly, this guy couldn't utter one sentence without throwing in some kind of curse word. Maybe that's why 'Kaa-chan was so strict about him swearing…

He looked up when Kagome came over to them, stopping just a few feet away from him. "Eh, gomen, but uh.. What's your name?" she finally just asked bluntly. (They both ignored Inuyasha's still-muffled voice. "Why the HELL do you wanna know his _name_!")

He watched her suspiciously before answering slowly, "Inuri."

The girl nodded once, then looked back up at him. She'd have to phrase this carefully, so as not to freak him out, but if she was right… "Inuri-kun.. Um, what year is it?"

Inuri looked at her like she was some kind of freak. She didn't know what year it was? Maybe they didn't have calendars out here in the country.. "2020, why?"

Kagome's eyes widened, her mouth forming a little 'o'. "Well, that explains a lot.." she murmured, before looking back up into Inuri's questioning face. "Why don't we all go inside? There's a lot that needs to be explained.."

Inuri frowned to himself, but followed the others into the small wooden hut.

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Kagome looked up from her hands folded in her lap when Inuri came back into the main room of Kaede's hut, now dressed in the red and white priest robes the old miko had been able to lend him. She watched him as he came to sit a little ways away from Inuyasha, the dog-demon glaring at him and growling softly as he sat down. Inuri matched his glare, and both shifted a little farther away from each other, folding their arms sullenly.

She was again struck with how much Inuri looked like Inuyasha's human form, especially now, dressed in the red pants and white kimono as he was. There were subtle differences, of course, like Inuri's eyes being blue, or his hair having a slightly thinner, softer look to it, not like the thick inky black hair of Inuyasha's human form.

The sound of Inuri's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "So.. What did you want to talk about?" he asked, resting his folded arms on his knees as he leaned back against the wall.

Kagome looked between the two boys before deciding on addressing Inuyasha directly. "I think.. I think Inuri's from the future."

"Huh!"

"What? You mean like from your time?" Inuyasha asked, leaning forward, eyes narrowing.

Kagome shook her head. "No, he's from about 23 years in the future even from my time."

"Then how did he end up here!"

"Did I miss something?" Inuri asked loudly, cutting the two of them off. "What do mean I'm from the future?"

Kagome turned to look at him, wondering how he would react to the information. She'd certainly been in shock when she's first gotten here, but then he already seemed to know about demons and things, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. _Well, only one way to find out.._ "Inuri, right now, we're somewhere in the fifteenth or sixteenth century," she said carefully, watching as his eyes slowly widened in disbelief. He was looking at her like she was crazy. Kagome swallowed before continuing, looking down at her lap. "So… He could actually be your son, Inuyasha.."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Inuri suddenly cried, interrupting again. He looked over at Kagome shrewdly. "If we're in the feudal ages, then what did you mean I'm only from 23 years in the future from 'your time'?"

Kagome blinked, then laughed a bit sheepishly. "Eh, well, I'm also kinda from the future.. But where I'm from, it's only 1997…"

"1997..?" Inuri breathed, sounding almost like he was in shock. Then, something occurred to him. "Kagome," he said slowly. "What's your family name?"

"Why the hell do you wanna know that?" Inuyasha snapped at him, but Kagome answered anyway, looking slightly confused.

"Higurashi."

Inuri could only stare. That was his mother's name! "You've got a cooky grandfather who's obsessed with ancient relics and spells and things? And a little brother named Souta who's really into video games? And a fat cat named Buyo?"

"I.. Yes.. But how do you..!"

Inuri hesitated, glancing over at Inuyasha, before looking back at the girl. "I think.. _you're_ my mother."

"WHAT!"

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Ah, two things, actually, that I wasn't sure were quite clear enough:

1) When Inuri said Inuyasha abandoned them 16 years ago, Inuyasha just laughed at him. That's because Inuyasha was stuck to a tree for the last 50 years, so obviously couldn't be having kids with or running out on anyone.

2) Inuyasha makes a comment that Inuri 'isn't as human as he looks' when they're facing off. Inuri looks human at the moment (so _his_ Tetsusaiga doesn't transform), but Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga still transformed when he was getting ready to attack him. So the point is, Tetsusaiga won't hurt humans, so Inuri couldn't be human. Ergo, Inuyasha was probably assuming he was some kind of demon or shapeshifter who was just coming to try and cause trouble for them.

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Somehow, Inuri's little, "I'm your son!" routine always makes me think of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_... o..O; Weird...

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Edited & Reposted 9.4.05 n..n


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